1942 was a boom year for films dealing with the many facets of World War II. It was also one of the biggest years for films that championed the USA and it’s allies against the many faces of war. During the previous year the attack on Pearl Harbor had occurred and the United States turned it’s gaze on the Eastern front of the war. The war was no longer just about the Nazi’s. Across the Pacific was being filmed during this time, even getting delayed because of the bombing, and when it arrived on screens the following September viewers couldn’t help but feel the real fear of Japanese terrorism attacks. This gave the film a real world scare that can sometimes be lost when viewed over eighty years later.
The film begins with Captain Rick Leland (Humphrey Bogart, still months away from his star making roll in Casablanca,) being court marshaled for the crime of theft. Disgraced, but still wanting to play a part in the war, he attempts to join the Canadian Light Infantry but is rebuffed when it is discovered who he is. Instead, he boards the Genoa Maru, a Japanese ship, ostensibly to sail to China to fight for Chiang Kai-shek. The vessel is destined for Yokohama via the Panama Canal and Hawaii.
On board the Genoa Maru Rick becomes acquainted with the beautiful Alberta Marlow (Mary Astor), who claims to be from the small town of Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada. A light hearted romance ensues. Also traveling on the Genoa Maru is Dr. Lorenz (Sydney Greenstreet), a professor of sociology from the Philippians who feels strongly that America needs to withdraw from the country and set it free. He also has a deep love for the Japanese, feelings that make him unpopular in his home country. Dr. Lorenz is traveling with his servant, non English speaking T. Oki. Dr. Lorenz sizes Rick up and ascertains that he is former Army and Rick assures him that he will fight for anyone who is willing to pay him enough.
As is expected with this type of film not all is as it seems. There are plenty of twists along the way, most of which are easy to predict. This film isn’t about holding it’s cards too close to the chest, though. It wants you in on most of the secrets, revealing the majority of them about halfway through the rather slim runtime. Once the big reveals are out of the way it becomes a race to the end involving military secrets, kidnapping, and a plot to cripple the allied forces in Panama through a stealth terrorist attack. It is during these latter moments that the film starts to feel rushed. The first hour takes it’s time providing us with great characters and dolling out tidbits of story but the final act rushes through at a breakneck pace, completely at odds with the rest of the film. One feels like it could have benefitted with another ten minutes in the final reel.
Bogart is in fine form in this film. He was mere months away from becoming one of the biggest stars in Hollywood but he shows off the charisma here that would propel him to that stardom. Likewise, Mary Astor, who had worked with Bogart the previous year in The Maltese Falcon, is also fantastic. Her character is tremendously vulnerable, going from illness to illness along the voyage while also leading Rick along with her flirtations. For most of the film we know she is hiding something and when that is finally revealed we understand that vulnerability and can sympathize with it. She pulls it off in such a way as to be completely convincing. We never quite trust her but we want to.
Sydney Greenstreet performance as Dr. Lorentz is eye-opening, just as menacing as he was the previous year in The Maltese Falcon. At no point do we trust his character but he slowly dishes out information about himself that sets off alarms. His sympathies for the Japanese would have demonized him in the eyes of 1942 America but, with the setting of the film being prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, not as much had the film released even a year earlier. Still, with all the tension ramping up in East Asia at the time, his views would not have been popular. A scene where Rick prevents an assassination of Lorentz sells this adequately, if a tad to briefly.
The chemistry between Bogart and Astor is also adequate, but not much more. They play off each other well, adding a great deal of levity to their scenes but that is about it. The two actors are in fine form here but there isn’t any real heat between them. It was the same the previous year in The Maltese Falcon only in that film Bogart was playing things like he was setting a trap for her to fall into. Here, it’s played like he wants to believe she has nothing to do with the mystery but the heat just isn’t believable. The chemistry Bogart had with Bacall in their previous films could have really elevated this film. Instead, the romance feels forced. It’s still offers some fun, just no real romance.
There are some truly great set-pieces that help liven up what is, for the most part, a dialogue heavy film. The best of these is takes place in a Panama movie theater where Rick must escape several gunmen while the panicking patrons flee around him. Another is the climax where the very security of Panama is threatened by a Japanese terrorist attack. This is not an action-heavy film but when it does kick things into gear it does so in a way that is exciting and well filmed. John Huston was still early in his directorial career but he proved here that he was well up to the task. He would go on, along with Bogart, to make such classics as Key Largo and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
Across the Pacific- a curious title since all the action is on the Atlantic, not the Pacific- is a film that is full of great scenes and ever greater dialogue. It only falls short when it comes to the chemistry of the two leads. Mary Astor is a good actress, just not particularly good with Bogart. It also rushes the ending as if the runtime was mandated by Warner Brothers. This is unlikely but it definitely feels like it’s in a rush to wrap things up in the end. Still, the final fate of Dr. Lorentz is both poignant and earned, calling back to several scenes earlier in the film. It is satisfying and would have resonated with audiences of the day. The film plays up heavily the events of Pearl Harbor, almost too on the nose in one scene where it really rams home that things are playing out just prior to the attacks, but this would have been a nudge for audiences with those attacks still fresh in their minds. It was a time in the world where that sting was still being felt. This film exploits those feelings and mostly succeeds in keeping those feelings towards the Japanese in sight. It may feel dated in modern viewings but that’s not a ding on the film itself. It’s a good drama with plenty of humor along the way and never overstays its welcome.
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet
Directed By: John Huston
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